Wing genoa jib

ABSTRACT

A wing genoa jib for a sailboat has two identical halves joined along the luff and provided at the head with fittings for a halliard and fitted at the tack with a tack line, each half of the wing genoa jib having a sheet. When used as a genoa jib the luff is brought into engagement with the head stay, the tack secured, and the halliard hoisted while the clews of the two halves are joined to form a double layer genoa jib having its luff bearing on the head stay. When off the wind or when reaching, the tack is released and the sheets of the two halves of the genoa jib properly adjusted so that the jib opens to form either a running spinnaker or a reaching spinnaker.

United States Patent [191 Russell 2 [4 Aug. 13, 1974 1' WING GENOA JIB [76] Inventor: Charles W. Russell, 2005 Paul Spring Rd., Alexandria, Va. 22307 [22] Filed: July 27, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 275,873

[52] US. Cl. 114/103 [51] Int. Cl B63h 9/04 [58] Field of Search 114/39, 102, 103

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,792,106 2/1931 Luders 114/103 2,544,770 3/1951 Willis 114/103 2,589,203 3/1952 Nilsen.. 114/103 2,909,142 10/1959 Hood 114/103 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 83,313 1/1963 France ..114/103 Primary Examiner-Trygve M. Blix Assistant Examiner-Stuart M. Goldstein Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Cameron, Kerkam, Sutton, Stowell & Stowell [57] ABSTRACT A wing genoa jib for a sailboat has two identical halves joined along the luff and provided at the head with fittings'for a halliard and fitted at the tack with a tack line, each half of the wing genoa jib having a sheet. When used as a genoa jib the luff is brought into engagement with the head stay, the tack secured, and the halliard hoisted while the clews of the two halves are joined to form a double layer genoa jib having its luff bearing on the head stay. When off the wind or when reaching, the tack is released and the sheets of the two halves of the genoa jib properly adjusted so that the jib opens to form either a running spinnaker or a reaching spinnaker.

3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEB AUG! 31974 same nr 2 I FIG.4

WING GENOA .IIB

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Heretofore genoa jibs have been widely used in sailing vessels both when on the wind and reaching and frequently are poled out when running before the wind. Spinnakers have been used for many years in sailing vessels both for down wind sailing and for reaching. Numerous spinnaker constructions and shapes have been proposed. With known genoa jibs and spinnakers the sails must be changed either for smaller sizes when the wind increases or when a point of sailing is reached at which the spinnaker would be more efficient than the genoa jib. While with large sailboats and large crews this sail handling is not too burdensome, in a small sailboat with a small crew and with adverse sea and wind conditions the changing of the sail could become extremely difficult. German Patent No. 455,456 of Feb. 2, 1928 is of interest as is the Roller Jeni Wings available from Britton Yacht Systems Inc.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a wing genoa jib which may be used both as a genoa jib and as a form of spinnaker for running and reaching which does not require change of the sail from one use to the other and which by adjustment of the sheets and tack may be used as a double thickness jenoa jib, a running spinnaker, a reaching spinnaker or a spinnaker of reduced effective area. To this end, the wing genoa jib of the present invention comprises two equal halves each in the form of a conventional genoa jib joined along the luff with each half provided at its clew with a sheet and the combined wing genoa having a tack fitting for a tack and a head fitting for the halliard. Preferably the wing genoa jib of the present concept is mitre cut and sewn and is provided with wear strips at head, tack and clew as well as along the common luff where the wing genoa jib engages the head stay when in use as a genoa jib with the clews together to form a double layer genoa jib.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts, a preferred embodiment of the wing genoa jib of the present invention is shown.

In FIG. 1 the wing genoa jib of the present invention is shown extended in the plane of the paper;

FIG. 2 is a view of the jib of FIG. 1 when used as a genoa jib and folded along the luff to form a double layer genoa jib;

FIG. 3 is a view of the jib of FIG. 1 in use as a running spinnaker;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 with the sheets and tack slacked off to spill wind from the sail as the wind increases; and

FIG. 5 is a view of the genoa jib of FIG. 1 used as a reaching spinnaker.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the wing genoa jib of the present invention is seen to comprise two equal and identical halves l and 2 joined along luff 3 with each half 1 and 2 mitre cut and sewn as along seams 4 and 5 and 6 and 7, respectively. The head of the sail 8 may be provided with a conventional head piece for reinforcement and is provided with eyes 9 for receiving the halliard. At the bottom of luff 3, tack 10 is provided with eyes 11 to receive a tack line. A wear piece extends from head 8 to tack 10 to take the chafe of the head stay. Half 1 of the sail is provided with a clew 12 having an eye 13 to receive a sheet while half 2 has a clew 14 with an eye 15 receiving a sheet.

With reference to FIG. 2, the wing genoa jib of FIG. 1 is there seen folded over a head stay 16 to form a double thickness genoa with side 1 on one side of the head stay and side 2 on the other side of the head stay with the two clews l2 and 14 joined so that a single sheet may be secured through eyes 13 and 15. The halliards, tack line and sheets are not shown in FIG. 2 for purposes of clarity. When the wing genoa jib of the present invention is used as shown in FIG. 2 it is handled as a conventional genoa jib with the sheets led in the conventional manner. With the light weight but strong modern sail cloths, the double thickness of the jib is no disadvantage and the sail is as easily handled as a conventional genoa jib hanked to the head stay.

When the wind frees, the wing genoa jib of the present invention is used in the manner seen in FIG. 3. Tack line 17 is slacked off and clews 12 and 14 are separated and sheets 18 and 19, secured to clews 12 and 14 respectively, are suitably adjusted to permit halves 1 and 2 of the sail to open away from head stay 16 and to fill as a spinnaker. Should the wind increase the sail may be partially spilled while still drawing by further slackening the tack and sheets as in FIG. 4 thus effectively reducing the working area of the sail.

FIG. 5 shows the sail of FIG. 1 when used as a reaching spinnaker with the tack and sheets properly adjusted so that the sail draws free of head stay 16 and fills and draws with the wind a beam.

From the above it is readily apparent that the wing genoa jib of this invention may be readily and easily changed from genoa jib to spinnaker and from spinnaker to genoa jib by the simple expedient of adjusting the length of the tack and by properly adjusting the sheets.

It is to be undetstood that the wing genoa jib of this concept may be constructed of any suitable material and cut in known manner rather than mitre cut and may be supplied with any conventional wearing pieces and fittings for the halliard, tack and sheets and may be roped as required for strength. Spinnaker poles or pole may be used with this jib if desired as will be apparent to the skilled sailor. It is therefore apparent that changes may be made to the above-described preferred embodiment of this invention without departing from the present inventive concept.

I claim:

I. A wing genoa jib comprising a first half of triangular genoa jib shape, a straight luff for said first half, a second half substantially identical to said first half and joined to said first half along said luffs forming a common straight luff, a halliard head fitting for said halves, a tack fitting for said halves and a clew sheet fitting for each of said halves whereby when used as a genoa jib the common luff engages around the head stay and the two halves are joined to form a double layer genoa jib find when off the wind the jib opens to form a spinna- 2. A jib as described in claim 1, each of said halves being mitre cut and sewn.

3. A jib as described in claim 1, including a wear piece secured to said halves along the common luff extending from head to tack of said halves. 

1. A wing genoa jib comprising a first half of triangular genoa jib shape, a straight luff for said first half, a second half substantially identical to said first half and joined to said first half along said luffs forming a common straight luff, a halliard head fitting for said halves, a tack fitting for said halves and a clew sheet fitting for each of said halves whereby when used as a genoa jib the common luff engages around the head stay and the two halves are joined to form a double layer genoa jib and when off the wind the jib opens to form a spinnaker.
 2. A jib as described in claim 1, each of said halves being mitre cut and sewn.
 3. A jib as described in claim 1, including a wear piece secured to said halves along the common luff extending from head to tack of said halves. 